ATL’s Most Inspiring Stories

The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.

Toby Streett

The Cbdeeme story began a few years ago after I moved to Georgia with my wife and dog from Boston. I had been working in PR and media for several Tripadvisor companies in the online travel space (Jetsetter, Smartertravel, Airfarewatchdog…) and decided to venture off on my own. Read more>>

Shanah Grant

As a child in Jamaica, I can remember, as young as 4 years old, getting excited to play the banker with my friends in our imaginary “store game.” With leaves as money, I would be sure to give the correct change to everyone who visited the store. Moments like this set the precedence for mathematics to make me the entrepreneur I am today. Read more>>

Lashunda Ward

I started my journey in healthcare over 20 years ago as a nurse, where I developed a deep understanding of patient care, attention to detail, and the importance of efficiency in medical processes. Throughout my nursing career, I witnessed firsthand how vital accurate and timely testing is, not only for patient outcomes but also for the organizations depending on those results. Read more>>

Kimberly Williams

I am a passionate educator, wellness advocate, and emerging researcher whose work blends science, sound, and spirituality. I hold a Bachelor’s in Physical Education and Health and a Master’s in Exercise Science from Auburn University, and recently earned my Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Health and Wellness. Read more>>

Robert Berry

My story starts when I was 13 years old. I was diagnose with osteosarcoma. A type of cancer that is very rare in children and often has a fatality rate of 70%, because of our growing bodies, it spreads extremely fast. I fought my cancer for over 10 months, and was amputated just above the knee. Read more>>

Chuck Jackson

Chuck lived in Florida since the age of 5. In fact, he still remembers his kindergarten teacher, Ms. Ortega in Jacksonville, FL. Living there for most of his formative years, as a teenager, his family moved to Tampa, FL where he lived until 2023. Among other things, Chuck immersed himself into photography as an amateur in 1993 using 35mm film SLRs. Read more>>

Arlinsen Furlow

My entrepreneurial journey began nearly two decades ago when I founded D&E Fraternal Supplies LLC, an e-commerce business that proudly served schools, fraternal organizations, and community groups. The company flourished for several years, but in 2006, my life changed forever. I lost my greatest inspiration—my mother—who passed away at the age of 60. Her passing left a void that led me into a difficult period of depression and loss. I eventually shut down my business and, for a time, lost parts of myself. Read more>>

Jose Jimenez

Cox Communications, one of the country’s largest cable and internet service providers and a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises, hired me in 1999 to help them navigate state regulations over telephone service. I interacted with state regulators in Arizona, California. Nevada, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Read more>>

Brooklyn Lowe

I’ve always been a creative. From receiving my first easel at 3 years old and discovering my love for acting at age six when I played The Virgin Mary in my Kindergarten class’ Christmas play, creative expression in one way or another has been a constant theme of my life. Read more>>

Shani Uritsky

My journey with photography started with families. I’ve always loved capturing real moments, the laughter, the connection, the little details that make every family unique. For a while, that’s where most of my work was focused, and it brought me so much joy. Then, after my husband and I renovated our master bathroom, something shifted. Read more>>

Travis Cherry

I originally started back home in 1993, when a friend and I started an r and b group called Simplee Uneek. Fast forward through the years and I ended up in ATL I started working on my craft as a producer full time around 1999, and just kind of grew from there. Read more>>

Darynn

I am an entertainer and entrepreneur hailing from Beaufort, South Carolina. I sing, dance, model, and act. I’ve been singing and dancing since I was in elementary school. I’m a classical trained dancer and vocalist. I’m a graduate of the South Carolina State University. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. Read more>>

Becky & Sarah Preston & Seagle

On New Years Day 2021, we visited our first ever cat cafe in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We had never heard of a cat cafe before but thought it sounded like a fun activity. We immediately fell in love with the concept. Read more>>

Temme Barkin-Leeds

There are a few episodes that are relevant to my life as an artist. As a two-year old, I was chided for pulling the wallpaper off the wall in my grandmother’s house and making marks on the torn-off areas. So began my squelched creativity. Read more>>

Susi O’Connor

Over time, I went from the new “kid” figuring out contracts to opening a brokerage, leading a top-performing team, and collaborating with builder-developers and clients on incredible projects. I’ve also been fortunate to use my voice to help shape the communities I love. The road has been full of twists, turns, and more than a few “you can’t make this up” moments, but each one has shaped me into the broker, leader, and storyteller I am today. Read more>>

Scott Jones

Grinola had it’s name and a very rudimentary logo even at that early stage, and we started gifting it at Christmas and bringing it to pot-lucks and get-togethers to share with our friends & family. When we shared it, we kept getting the same response: “you need to do something with this!”. Over the years, a few bags were sold here and there, but we were already employed full-time and never really dedicated the effort to build the brand or start a full-time business with it. Read more>>

Allyson Chitwood

I’ve always loved to travel. I spent the first 20+ years of my career life working in metro area real estate law firms. I knew I wanted to move into a position that would allow more flexibility (and travel opportunities) and really thought long and hard about what I wanted my next career to be. Read more>>

Kaitlyn pratt

If you are an early riser, maybe you’ve heard my voice as you make coffee and get updates on the news and weather of the day. I’m the Weekend Morning News Anchor and Reporter at FOX 5 Atlanta. Newsies are nomads and I’m no different. I started my news career behind the camera in Boston, where I grew up. Read more>>

Dr. Jasmine R. Gordon

First, a heartfelt thank you to ATL-Voyage for this opportunity. Thank you for the work that you do. It is an honor to be on this amazing platform to share my beautiful, life-transforming story. ‘I love my life’s story! It humbles me! What a beautiful and impactful story of a blessed life! Read more>>

Leah Rainwater

The Secret Garden Bar started as an idea that blended my love for nature, design, and hospitality, but it quickly became something much deeper. What truly draws me to this work isn’t just the beauty of the space or the drinks we create, but the beautiful people we get to interact with. Read more>>

Amy Rodriguez

I married my husband who was active-duty Air Force in 2009 when he was stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base. We moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2012 when he got stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base. We had our first child on January 15, 2013. Read more>>

Lakeshia Baker

My entry into the culinary world wasn’t planned; it was a matter of necessity and destiny. After undergoing a hysterectomy in March, I realized the long, demanding hours of television hair and makeup were no longer sustainable for me. While recovering, I needed to figure out how to make money and maintain my career without sacrificing my health. Read more>>

Rahul Agarwal

My story really starts when I was four years old. My dad passed away, leaving my mom to raise me and my younger brother on her own. Read more>>

Ashley Dade

I actually started out as just a regular homebuyer trying to figure things out for myself. I didn’t come from a real estate background at all. I became a realtor first just to understand the game, protect myself from bad deals, and help other people avoid the mistakes I made starting out. Read more>>

Kenneth Johnson II

I am a recovered, free spirited man who went through several suicide attempts and a dark past. I grew up mostly with my single mother at a small town of Warner Robins, GA. Even though I had two older brothers, it still felt like I was a lone wolf in my journey. Read more>>

Margo Candelario

My professional art career began in 1993 when i loaded up my car with the few pieces I had created and took them to a gallery in Macon Georgia owned by a women named Louise Burkhalter. I wanted someone with a trained eye to tell me the truth about my work. Read more>>

Phresh Bueller

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Ca. Started dabbling in production in high school. Eventually made my way to Atlanta as an adult. Started to align myself with other local artists. Met Billy Vetti at a barber shop that was owned by a friend from California. Read more>>

Paula Shiver

I grew up in Dunwoody, and my wonderful parents still live in the same home they moved me to when I was 18 months old. My career began in the outdoor industry with REI, where I worked during college. I loved the company’s values—and the people who shared them—so much that I built a career in this field, managing retail operations across the country. Read more>>

Ansleigh Rojas

I grew up never imagining that photography would be my career, never even thought of it as an option! But in early middle school I got my first digital camera as a gift, and fell in love with taking photos. Throughout highschool I upgraded cameras a few times, but still never really considered myself a photographer. I just loved creating art! Read more>>

Virginia Bradley

I’ve wanted to be an architect for a VERY long time (since at least middle school)! Designing buildings is a way to blend creativity and practicality, while being able to serve the needs of those around me. Being a Georgia native, I went to Georgia Tech for undergrad, and then to the University of Washington for my graduate studies. Read more>>

De-Mi Woodfork

We started as a creative agency that lived and breathed the arts—supporting painters, performers, musicians, you name it. We threw events, teamed up on collaborations, published magazines, and did whatever we could to put talented creatives in the spotlight. Community was everything to us. Read more>>

Alexander Prado

Always Loved Music Since A Pre-Teen. Wrote My First Song At Age 13. Started Engineering In The Industry At Age 18. Got My First Writing Placement At Age 20 While Still Being An Artist. Was In A Rap Group That Accomplished A Lot As An Independent. Got My First Plaque At Age 33. Currently A Signed Writer/Studio Owner/Engineer/Manager. Read more>>

Leng Yang

What began as a personal quest evolved into a family-run establishment dedicated to delivering bold, flavorful barbecue that deviates from the traditional. The crazy thing is, we never wanted a restaurant but after some course-altering life events happened one after another within a nine-month span, what else could go wrong? Read more>>

Jontai Reynolds

My journey really started from a place of survival that evolved into purpose. I’ve always been a storyteller at heart, but my writing deepened during some of the most challenging seasons of my life. Moments where I needed to make sense of pain, reactive abuse, and rediscovery of myself. Read more>>

Terri Benn

Learning to ride a motorcycle saved my life. There was a time when I was clinically depressed, consumed by work, family, and motherhood — but not myself. Over coffee one day, my friend Melissa looked at me, tears in her eyes, and asked, “What do you do for fun?” Without thinking, I replied, “The kids and I…” She stopped me. Read more>>

Patrice Farmer

My journey began in education. I spent over a decade teaching and later serving as an Assistant Principal in Gwinnett County, where I led teams, supported families, and worked every day to help students reach their full potential. During that time, I realized that many of the lessons students needed most were not just in books. Read more>>

Lee Robbins

I just scratched your weighted from oral Roberts University, got married, and planted my very first church in Norcross, Georgia. We were a young couple with three little children when tragedy hit in my life. I was falsely incarcerated for a paper crime. I did not commit. Read more>>

Jovonna Shack

“So, how did your story start?” Well, I’m just a girl from Detroit a natural-born hustler through and through. My story really started with passion, purpose, and a little bit of “I’ll figure it out myself” energy. I’ve been doing makeup for about 12 years now, nails for 5 years, and modeling for about 4 and a half. And boy, modeling has been amazing. Read more>>

Yakim Herriot (aka Kimbo Navé)

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been around music. From playing the congas, to being around my mother and father who’d sing around me. To my big sister and Uncles playing music outside of their bedrooms, who would then put me on to artists we know today like Biggie, Tupac, Michael Jackson, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye West etc. Read more>>

Karl Vivier

Nestled north of Atlanta in Marietta, GA, and just a few miles from downtown Woodstock, A Cacao Affair combines artistry with scrumptious chocolate to create gourmet creations for your taste palate. Owner Karl Vivier devises delicious and unusual combinations of chocolate with different flavors including Saffron, Tahitian vanilla, and black tea. Read more>>

CJ Bargamian

Sure – I’ve been a creative person of some sort for my entire life, since I first doodled around on a piano as a kid. I got my first guitar when I was around 12, started my first band when I was 14, and played my first shows at Atlanta dive bars when I was 16. Read more>>

Emily Weller

Curiosity and desperation were the key ingredients to the recipe of my life and career. I was raised in Woodstock in a big, homeschooled family, by an eccentric mother which fostered a creative but slightly abnormal outlook on life. I graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor’s in Communication and Minor in Women & Gender Studies. Read more>>

Jessica Merrell

Spoiler alert: When it comes to storytelling, I am anything but brief!  I currently live in Smyrna with my wife and three year old daughter. To understand how I got here, let me rewind a bit. We arrived in ATL in 2022 by way of West Palm Beach, FL by way of NYC/LA. Read more>>

matthew gore

Started my career in 1987 as an audio mixer for live broadcasts with a large corporate satellite network. As computerized video editing came into existence, I branched into becoming a video editor. Read more>>

Kathryn Hatcher

It all really started one very late night in January earlier this year, after three years of juggling camp sign-ups for my own kids. I was so overwhelmed by this process of finding and planning for summer camps. I had color-coded spreadsheets for each year, a million different mom group chats, and a mental checklist that seemed to grow by the minute. Read more>>

Wednesday Holmes

Sure! My story really begins in the inner city of Buffalo, NY, where I was born and raised. Life didn’t come easy. I was a teenage mother, a high school dropout, and later divorced. By most standards, I fit every “statistic.” But God had a bigger plan for my life. Read more>>

Anna Blount

Everything changed for me back in 2004, when I was a college volunteer in my local community. I met an incredible young woman, a middle school student who was thriving academically despite facing serious hardship. When she became homeless, I stepped in as a temporary caregiver while the Department of Family and Children Services worked to find a long-term solution. Read more>>

Ikhlas Mohammed

Nanna’s Legacy: A Mother’s Love That Fed Generations In the Fur language, “Nanna” means “mother.” But to me, Nanna was more than a word—it was a lifeline. It was the scent of fresh bread at dawn, the sound of laughter through hardship, and the quiet strength of a woman who carried the weight of a family on her shoulders with grace. Read more>>

Kandus Johnson

I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember. My dad used to draw cool muscle cars and monsters all the time when I was a kid and I was mesmerized by them. He definitely inspired me and passed his talent onto me. I’ve always been fascinated with making things that do not exist. Read more>>

Ifeyinwa Eze

Hi! My name is Ifeyinwa Eze. I am currently 26 years old and I am from the Bronx, NY. I am a luxury hairstylist and educator with 9+ years experience. I also am a beauty and lifestyle influencer. I also recently moved my whole life to Washington, DC! I’ve always been a creative person and someone who wants to learn and try everything! Read more>>

Daniel Meadows

I fell in love with writing in college—mostly embarrassing poems and bad stage plays. After school, I moved to Los Angeles, became a bellman, assisted writers, covered scripts for producers, and wrote at night. I stumbled into an idea for an animated screenplay and was entranced by the whimsical world of children’s storytelling. Family pulled me back home to Atlanta, but I wasn’t done writing. Read more>>

Shara Shaw

After graduating high school in Mobile Alabama c/o 99 I attended Miles College to pursue a career in Journalism, I later decided to embark on a passion of mine and enrolled into beauty college (SouthEastern School of Cosmetology) I excelled and became one of the most trusted beauty professional in my area. Read more>>

Aisha Parham

Writing has always been a part of who I am. I discovered my love for words and self-expression through poetry in high school, but I didn’t truly embrace writing as a calling until much later in life. As an adult, I faced a serious health scare that shifted my perspective and deepened my faith. Read more>>

Kanetta Dunn

I was reading the ingredients in a bottle of lotion I was about to use one day and thought man this is a lot of stuff and I didn’t know what half of it was. I decided that I would as a hobby just make my own shea butter with less ingredients & something I knew would be healthy for my skin. Read more>>

Jeremy Norman

Jeremy launched Norluxe Realty (formerly Norman & Associates) in 2019. He started building his dream in Birmingham, AL moved from an apartment complex in Dunwoody, GA, Tucker, GA, and now has the headquarters residing in Dunwoody, GA. With a clear mission, Jeremy wanted to create space for African-Americans and other minorities to thrive in every corner of the real estate world—residential, commercial, and luxury. Read more>>

Kevin Nguyen

I got my start in construction before college, working for a local remodeler. I was the youngest guy on the crew, doing demo, hauling materials, learning how to frame, lay floors, and finish trim. I wasn’t the most skilled, but I showed up, listened, and took pride in the work. Read more>>

Angela Lehew

Raised on a small family farm in rural South Georgia, I discovered my true calling when my Aunt Ruth taught me how to make soap. That first lesson turned a practical skill into a deep love for homesteading. Read more>>

David Person Jr

Meet David Person Jr. :Lifting as He Climbs My name is David Person Jr., and I’m 30 years old. I’m originally from Toledo, Ohio, but I’ve proudly called Metro Atlanta home for the past five years. Read more>>

Dr. Darnita Henry

I’m Dr. Darnita Henry, a holistic chiropractor, functional wellness doctor, writer, and mama of four. I’m the founder of Align Wellness Center in Southwest Atlanta, where I serve families with chiropractic care, detox programs, and natural wellness. My work is rooted in legacy—I carry forward the wisdom of my parents, my ancestors, and my own journey as a mother, entrepreneur, and healer. Read more>>

Alessandra Perez-Cirera

La Palomilla means jobs that became careers, support for local women and seven families that work full time, local suppliers who grew with us, guests who arrived skeptical and left as part of our “Palomilla” or group of friends, and a Roma/Condesa block that feels a little kinder, greener, and more connected. Mexico City is extraordinary and mind blowing. Its creative, delicious, welcoming, and yes, safe when you move like a local.
La Palomilla is proof: small, constant, and deeply hopeful about the lives we’ve already changed.. and the many more we will as long as we keep treking. Read more>>

Ashley Perry-Cook

Also, it has been difficult to overcome insecurities about my work and not compare it to those artists who have been at it for longer than I have. I have chosen instead to focuse on improving, admiring and learning from other artists’ work, but staying true to my own visions. There is a great online art community to support your work as well and to learn from. Also, I need to stage a booth so I can begin entering artist markets which always require a booth photograph in order to be considered. This has been a challenge since I never had a booth before enabling me to submit that photo.. Read more>>

Angel Dweh

Driven by a passion for unity and empowerment, Angel Dweh’s art goes beyond entertainment. His music serves as a bridge between cultures, celebrating the beauty of diversity while honoring the strength of his Liberian heritage. Through every lyric, beat, and performance, Angel continues to redefine what it means to be a global artist, using his platform to spread love, hope, and cultural pride to listeners around the world. Read more>>

Lateefah Conner

The idea of Pet Party Palace came about in December 2024 when I asked ChatGPT questions about what would be a good business for downtown Macon. Pet venue was one of the businesses given, and it took me back to a few years ago when I had the idea to give birthday parties to pets. I knew I had locked onto something as I could hardly sleep that night because I was so excited. Five months later, I had my ribbon-cutting and Grand Opening! Read more>>

Brett Weiler

Mayor’s, and I decided it was the time to strike out on my own. Maier & Berkele had a store in Decatur, which they closed, so I recognized a need could be filled and Decatur was an unkown gem in 1994. I rented my first store for five years and was fortunate enough to buy my current location, which was three doors down, in 1999. I do not consider myself much of a salesman, but more of a curator. I know how to design, source and make fine jewelry. I want my customers to have comfortable, enjoyable experience. Read more>>

Heather Wayne

Our dancers also perform in local parades, volunteer at community events, and serve at elementary school programs. One of our most meaningful projects has been producing Sensory Friendly Field Trip Shows for our community dance concert—welcoming special needs classrooms from across the region to experience the joy of live performance in a safe, supportive environment. The last two years have been incredibly successful, and we hope to make this outreach even bigger in the years ahead. Read more>>